Adorable but Assertive
by KittenRainbow
Summary: Yoshi and Toad have noticed that Wolfie Mario is being too much of a pushover, so they take matters into their own hands to help him be assertive. Unfortunately, their plan may backfire when Mario takes their advice a little too seriously. Please read and review, if you will!
1. Chapter 1

"Alright, the appetizers and the main courses are finished. Let's go on with the desserts," Peach said hurriedly.

It was a busy day in the castle kitchen. Peach and Mario (along with some of the Toads) had been preparing some delicious foods for everyone. So far, they had finished with the world-famous Mushroom Soup and the Star Roast Chicken. Now they were all set to bake the cakes. However, time was not on their side today, so Peach had to hurry everyone up at times, leaving her a bit frustrated and impatient.

They had to bake four cakes. Three were done perfectly with the help of the Insta-Bake-A-Cake, but then the machine jammed right before they could get the last one.

"It's just as well," Peach deadpanned. "We're missing some of the important ingredients for this cake. Without them, the cake will be ruined." She held a hand against her forehead. "We're never going to get it done in time."

The Toads looked defeated. What could they do now?

Suddenly, an idea struck Peach. She quickly turned. "Mario!"

The little wolf was concentrated on getting the icing decoration for one of the cakes done. He looked up. "Yes?"

"You can go buy the missing ingredients for us!" she said.

Mario hesitated. "W-Well...I _really_ wanted to finish decorating this cake first, but-"

"Really? Omigosh, you've a lifesaver! Thank you!" Peach said, relieved. She quickly gave him a hug, then handed him a list she had written rapidly and a small bag of coins. "Just remember, you have to get _every single vital ingredient_ right. If you don't, then the cake won't bake right; understand?"

"Wait, I-" Mario started to say.

"Okay then, hurry up! We don't have all day to wait!" Peach said, gently pushing him out of the kitchen. "Just head on over to the outdoor market and buy the ingredients there!" With that, she slammed the door shut.

* * *

A couple minutes later, Mario was at the outdoor market. He was trying his best to decipher what Peach's list actually said. She had written it in such a way that it was hard to read.

"...F-Flowers...?" he managed to make out. "Why would she need flowers to make a cake?"

_Well, if that's what she wants..._ The little wolf headed over to a flower booth. He was about to get in line, when a Toad suddenly dashed in front of him.

"Oh-!" Mario said, startled. He quickly regained his composition, then walked up to the Toad. "Um, excuse me...?" he said timidly. "I think you just stepped in front of me."

The Toad did not hear him (or pretended not to). She simply walked up to the booth, paid her three coins, and walked off with a large bouquet, the very one Mario was aiming to get.

The little wolf followed her a bit. "Excuse me...!" he said again, a little louder. "I was actually planning to get that bouquet, but then you cut me in line, so..."

The Toad turned and saw him. "Sorry, didn't see you there." She shrugged and walked off.

"Oh..." Mario said in a small voice, feeling belittled. "T-That's alright, I don't mind..." He turned and started to go towards the booth again, but right before he got in line, two other Toads got in his place. They were chatting nonchalantly to each other, one listening to music with headphones.

"Oh, excuse me," Mario said politely. "But I was actually there first-"

"Hey, do you mind, little guy?" one of them said, chewing on bubble gum. "We're trying to make a purchase here."

"Just wait a second, okay, honey?" the other Toad said, looking at her phone. "You can get your pretty flowers after we're done."  
"But I was here first-"

"_Excuse me_, little wolf?" the first Toad said. "Do you _really_ need those flowers? Like, are they, _really_ important?"

"Yes..." Mario said softly, his cheeks reddening.

The two Toads laughed a bit, before walking off, each carrying a bouquet. "Then be first in line _next time_, sweetie!"

The little wolf's feelings were hurt. He could feel his eyes begin to water.

* * *

"Mario!" a voice called.

Yoshi and Toad ran up to him. "You shouldn't let them treat you like that!" Toad said.

Mario was wiping his eyes. "B-But it's okay, it's n-not a big deal..."

"What are you talking about? Of course it's a big deal!" Yoshi said. "We've seen everything, and we decided that you have a small problem."  
"W-What kind of problem...?"

"Allow us." Yoshi took the little wolf's hand and walked him over to a random booth. "Buy that cherry for us."

As Mario started to move his feet forward, Toad quickly dashed in front of him, cutting him.

"Oh, t-that's okay, Toad. You go on ahead," Mario said timidly.

"See? Right there! That's your problem!" Yoshi said quickly. "You're being too much of a pushover."

"I am...?"

"Yes! People will just walk all over you if you don't learn to be _assertive_."

The little wolf looked hopelessly confused.

"Standing up for yourself, buddy," Toad said. "Here, we'll show you. What's the next item on your list?"

Mario took out the list and looked at it. "Um, I think it says 'Vinegar'...?"

"Okay, let's find it," Toad said. He took the little wolf's hand and led him around the market until he found a booth where vinegar was sold. "Here, there it is."

"Go get it. We'll wait for you," Yoshi said.

Mario nodded to his friends and quickly walked over to the booth. He paid the two coins for the vinegar, politely said thank you, and began to walk toward Yoshi and Toad.

The seller looked at the coins, then cleared his throat. "_Ahem!_ It's three coins, not two!"

"Oh...!" Mario said, turning around. "But last week it was only-"

"That was then, this is now," the seller interrupted.

The little wolf walked up shyly and placed the third coin on the counter. "Okay then. I don't want to start an argument..."

"Wait a second!" Yoshi said, coming up to the seller. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm minding my own business, maybe you should, too!" the seller said, annoyed.

"Three coins for a bottle of vinegar? That is simply preposterous! I say it should be _two _coins!" Yoshi declared.

"It's three coins," the seller said, pointing to the sign he had.

"Two coins!" Yoshi said automatically, holding up his own little sign.

"Three coins!"

"Two coins!" Yoshi said, moving the third coin towards him.

"Three coins!" the seller replied, moving it back.

"Two coins!"

"Three coins!"

"_Three coins!_" Yoshi shouted, banging on the counter.

"Two coins!" the seller said.

"Three coins!"

"Two coins!"

"_Three coins and no more!_"

"Two coins and that's my final offer! Take it or leave it!" the seller yelled.

Yoshi brightened up. "Okay, you asked for it. Two coins it is." He took the third coin and walked off.

The seller began taking the two coins, a smug look on his face, when he realized something. "Wait a minute..."

* * *

Okay, this is a little story thingy I wanted to write. It is based off the episode _Putting Your Hoof Down_ from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. So, this basically means that I do not own most of the plot (but I do own some parts), but belongs to Hasbro.  
Wolfie Mario belongs to me, though, okay? :) (So does the Insta-Bake-A-Cake)  
Hope you like it, and review, please, if you will!


	2. Chapter 2: Sugar

"See, that's how you do it!" Yoshi said, handing the third coin to Mario. "Sometimes being assertive can be fun!" he giggled to himself.

"Well, I don't know," the little wolf said uneasily. "I'm not sure if I can do that myself..."

"Anyone can do it!" Yoshi said happily. "You'll be fine."

Mario was not so sure.

"Okay then, enough gab. What's next on the list?" Toad asked.

"The last thing is sugar," he said, able to read the list clearly this time.

"Sugar? Alright, let's get it!" Yoshi said, taking Mario by the hand and leading him around until they got to the sugar booth. "There it is!"

There was one last sugar pack sitting on the table.

"Oh, yes, there's one more!" Mario said. He quickly went over to the booth. "I'm glad you still have a sugar pack left, because I _really_ need it for Peach's last cake!"

The seller (who was a large Toad with a five o' clock shadow) raised one eyebrow lazily. "So, you really need this sugar pack?"

"Yes, it's really important," Mario said hopefully.

"Then I'll give it to you for ten coins!" the seller said gruffly.

"_Ten coins?!_" Mario said, shocked. He glanced over uneasily at Yoshi and Toad, who nodded at him to continue.

The little wolf took a deep breath and assumed a straight face. "Ten coins for one sugar pack! That's ridiculous! I think it should be...uh, _eleven_ coins!"

"Eleven coins?" the seller said, surprised.

Mario suddenly realized his mistake. "Wait, I meant _nine_ coins!"

"Hold on, you said eleven coins!" the large Toad said.

Yoshi and Toad stared at the two talking, mortified. Toad held his hand against his forehead. "This isn't coming out right at all."

"Okay then-_twelve_ coins!" Mario said. "Take it or leave it!"

"Alright, I'll take it," the seller said, confused but satisfied.

The little wolf was about to hand him the twelve coins, when Yoshi and Toad intervened. "Hold on!" Toad said, taking the money. Yoshi dragged Mario away by the collar of his shirt.

"That's not how you do it, buddy," Toad told the little wolf.

"But I was only doing what you-"

"It was a nice try, Mario, but if that happens, then you should refuse his business and walk away," Yoshi said. "It's as simple as that."

"But...I need that sugar pack for Peach! She said it had to be exact!" Mario said, gently pulling away from Yoshi. "I need that sugar pack no matter what!" He began to run back toward the booth.

"In that case, _twenty_ coins!" the seller said, having heard everything.

"_Twenty...?!_" Mario instantly stopped in his tracks and timidly wrapped his tail around himself. "Oh, but I don't have that much..."

"I guess you can't have the sugar, then," the seller said, shrugging.

Another Toad was walking by the booth. "I'll give you three coins for that sugar pack," she said nonchalantly as she dropped the coins on the counter.

"Sold!" the seller said, as the female Toad walked off with the sugar pack. He looked back at Mario. "Sorry, little guy. Next time, don't be such a pushover." He laughed quietly to himself as he closed the booth and left.

Mario was trying hard not to cry as Yoshi and Toad came up to him. "Aww, it's alright. We'll get you the sugar, if we can," Yoshi said sympathetically. He gently took Mario's hand and walked with him around the market, trying to find another sugar booth.

The whole time, the little wolf had one main thought in his head: _I really __am__ a pushover..._

* * *

Back at the castle, Peach was starting to get really impatient. They had managed to get the Insta-Bake-A-Cake working again, but Mario had not arrived yet with the vital ingredients.

"Where could he be...?" Peach muttered to herself. "He's been gone for a while now..."

Suddenly, the kitchen doors opened. Mario came running in with a grocery bag. "Here it is, Peach," he breathed.

"Oh, thank you-" Peach stopped saying when she actually got a look in the bag. "Flowers, vinegar...? Mario, we needed _flour_ and _vanilla_!"

Mario was completely embarrassed when he heard this. His cheeks flamed red. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

Peach continued looking through the bag. "And _artificial sweetener?_ Mario, I thought I told you to get _sugar!_"

The little wolf's red cheeks blushed scarlet. "Oh, b-but there w-wasn't any sugar left...!"

Peach sighed in exasperation and held her hand against her forehead. "Never mind. Why don't you help someone else for now?"

"But I-"

"Please, go!" Peach said, not wanting to let her temper slip.

"I-I'm sorry..." Mario said softly as he quickly left.

Peach sighed. "I know you are."


	3. Chapter 3: Flowers and Wagons

Yoshi and Toad were waiting for Mario to come out of the castle.

"What did Peach say?" Yoshi asked, seeing the tears that were threatening to spill out of his friend's eyes.

"She w-wanted me to go help someone else..." Mario said in a low voice. He wiped his eyes. "You guys are right. I _am_ a pushover."

The trio were quiet for a while. Then Toad spoke up. "We can help you be assertive."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, sure!" Yoshi said. "It's really not that hard at all."

* * *

Later, the three were in Yoshi's backyard.

"Okay, first thing," Yoshi said. He stood a few feet away from Mario. "Walk towards me."

As the little wolf began to walk forward, Toad zoomed in front of him, blocking his path. Mario timidly walked around him, but then Toad quickly stepped in front of him again.

"He's blocking your way, Mario!" Yoshi called. "What are ya gonna do about it?"

"Uh, cautiously walk around him?" the little wolf suggested.

"No," Yoshi replied.

"Politely tip-toe around him?"

"No."

"Go back home and try it again tomorrow?"

"No!" Yoshi gave up. "You have to be assertive!" Going up to Toad, he pushed him and shouted, "_Out of my way, Buster Brown!_"

Toad playfully got out of the way. "And if they try to do that to you first, then try this!" He walked up to Yoshi and got right in his face. "_Why don't you look where you're going, yourself?_"

Mario simply stared at the laughing pair, confused.

"Oh man, that was fun," Toad said to no one in particular. He turned towards the little wolf and stood in front of him. "Now you try."

Before Mario could move, Yoshi stepped up to him. "Come on, don't be shy," he said as he gave the little wolf a playful shove, making him bump into Toad.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mario said quickly to his mushroom friend.

"No, no, don't be sorry," Yoshi said. "Assert yourself!"

"Oh, um..." Mario said softly. He turned to Toad. "Uh, next time...get out of my way, because, um, I'll bump into you, and if I do, I won't be sorry...!" He looked over timidly at Yoshi to see if he had gotten it right.

To his surprise, Yoshi let out a small cheer. "That's it! Now that's what I call assertive!"

"We just gotta work on your tone a little bit," Toad said nonchalantly.

Mario looked at his friends and smiled, relieved.

* * *

The next day, Mario was walking happily through Peach's Gardens, feeling ready to "assert himself", as Yoshi called it.

As he walked, he suddenly noticed an elderly Toad watering some flowers. There was a growing puddle of water around them, meaning that the Toad was over-watering the flowers with the hose.

"Oh, excuse me!" Mario called out. "I think you're over-watering the flowers...again."

The elderly Toad looked at him, then chuckled quietly to himself. "Why don't you just run along, little guy, and leave this to the professionals?" He continued watering the flowers with the hose.

Feeling belittled, Mario was about to walk away, when he suddenly remembered something. He wasn't going to let anyone push him around anymore. He narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the hose and stepped on it. The water began to build up from the other end, causing a lot of pressure.

When the elderly Toad looked at the hose, wondering why it had stopped watering, Mario lifted his foot, causing the pressured water to spew out, drenching the elderly Toad.

"Goodness!" he exclaimed. He glanced at the flowers. "Perhaps that _is_ enough water..."

"Thank you," Mario said, satisfied. He continued walking.

* * *

The little wolf continued until he came across a little bridge.

There were two Yoshis there, each carrying a wagon full of apples. They were resting on the bridge, chatting to each other.

"Excuse me!" Mario said, loud enough for the Yoshis to hear. "Could you please move your wagons so I can pass through?"

"Yeah, in a minute," one of the Yoshis said. "Just let me finish telling this joke." She continued talking to her friend as if nothing had happened.

"_Ahem!_ Could you move, please? You're in my way," Mario said again. He was not in the mood to wait.

"Yeah, in a minute...!" the same Yoshi said, irritated. She turned back to the other Yoshi. "As I was saying..."

The little wolf had enough of this. No one was going to push him around this time! He walked over to the wagons. "I said _move!_" he shouted as he gave the wagons a strong kick.

The force of the blow sent the apples flying everywhere, bouncing off the heads of the Yoshis, to be exact.

"Jeez! Take it easy!" one of them said. "We're going, okay?" They began pulling the wagons off the bridge.

"That's better," Mario said to himself, satisfied.

As he walked, he did not notice the sky was beginning to darken, with sullen clouds covering the sun.


	4. Chapter 4: Mail Order

A while later, Mario arrived at Toad and Toadette's Party House, where rooms were rented to have parties and things like that. Toadette herself was helping taking care of business with her clients. Yoshi and Toad were having a little refreshment stand for all the customers who were waiting.

"Step right up! Plenty for everyone!" Toad was calling out.

As Mario got into line (wanting to talk to Yoshi and Toad), someone tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, that same person scooted quickly in front of him, pushing him back.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Mario said indignantly. "Didn't you see me standing here?"

"Uh, I guess, maybe," the Toad said, waving it off.

"_Maybe?_" the little wolf repeated, his eyes narrowing. "I'll show _you_ 'maybe'!" He grabbed the Toad by the collar of her shirt, made her turn around, and for the first time ever, Mario actually growled. "Now go back to the end of the line _where you belong!_"

Terrified, the Toad nodded quickly and ran to the end of the line.

When Mario looked up, still fuming, the other Toads who were in front gasped. They all retreated to the back, so that the little wolf was now first.

* * *

"Hey! Look at you!" Toad called.

Mario smiled pleasantly, seeing his friends, and walked towards the front.

"Oh, I just love your new attitude; it's so feisty!" Yoshi said. "It's like you turned over a new leaf!"

Mario agreed. "Yes, I do feel that way," he said, pleased.

"Yeah, your new attitude sure packs a _punch!_" Toad said. He placed a glass full of pink fruit punch on the counter. "Want some?" He began to laugh, enjoying the pun he just made. He fell back onto the floor, giggling to himself.

However, when Mario heard Toad laughing, he took it as an insult. "Laugh at _me_, will you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Reaching out, he pushed the glass over the counter, so that the soft drink spilled all over his mushroom friend.

Yoshi and Toad (who was now drenched in fruit punch) stared wide-eyed as Mario turned around and left. "Bye, guys," he said over his shoulder.

* * *

Outside, the Toads and Yoshis who were in line scattered as soon as they saw the little wolf coming.

"Oh, it's such a lovely day!" he said happily, completely unaware of the dark clouds that hung in the sky. He looked around and saw that someone was giving out free carriage rides, for one or two people at a time.

"Ooh! Free rides!" he said. He began going towards the carriage, and was almost there when a Yoshi climbed on first.

Instead of backing down, Mario's temper flared. "Oh no, you don't!" he said bitterly. "No one's going to cut me in line again!" He jumped onto the carriage, threw a flurry of punches, and knocked the Yoshi away, sending him flying.

"Nobody messes with me! _Nobody!_" he yelled, the last part echoing. The Toad driving the carriage nearly panicked and quickly started the ride, going rapidly.

Yoshi and Toad had seen everything, having already come out of the Party House. "Actually, I'm not so sure this was a good idea after all," Toad said uneasily.

"I agree," Yoshi replied, slightly nervous.

* * *

Later on, Mario was standing in front of one of the hallway mirrors in Peach's Castle. "You've got this," he told his reflection. "This is**your** day, and **no one** is going to take it away from you! **No one!**" He turned as he heard a sound, and saw a small Toad who was staring at him with wide eyes. The little wolf came over and stared at him. "Am I _right?_" he asked, grinning.

The small Toad gave a squeal and ran away.

"Right!" Mario straightened up and walked out. In a few minutes, he was out of the castle.

The weather was worse than before. With all the dark heavy clouds covering the sun, it seemed as though there would soon be a storm. Occasionally, there was a small binding flash of lightning.

Mario took no notice of this whatsoever. He simply kept on walking, humming softly to himself.

"Oh, hey there, Mario," the mailman said, coming up to him. He was a Toad well advanced in years, old and elderly, and had to wear big glasses. "I've got some mail for you." He proceeded to pull out a couple of letters. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Mario said as he took the letters. The mailman nodded and turned to leave as the little wolf looked through them.  
As Mario looked, he noticed something. These weren't his; they were Luigi's!

"What?" he said bitterly. "He's delivered the wrong mail _again!_" He whirled around and came up to the mailman. Mario shoved the letters into the elderly Toad's face. "And I do not want the wrong mail delivered to me!"

The mailman adjusted his glasses before taking the letters. "Oh dear, did I mix them up again?" He returned Luigi's letters into his bag and took out a couple different ones. "Sorry about that."

Mario would not accept an apology this time. "Don't say you're sorry to _me_! It was _your_ fault!" With that, he picked up the elderly Toad and managed to shove him through a mailbox that had been opened. He took the letters that were in the mailman's hands and walked off.

"Oh dear..." the elderly Toad said, still stuck in the mailbox.


	5. Chapter 5: In the Storm

As Mario walked through Toad Town, some brightly-colored balloons caught his eye.

_Oh, some balloons might be nice for the dinner Peach's having! Or she could just keep them like that_, he thought as he walked over and bought a couple. Then he continued his way to Peach's Castle.

When he still had a bit more to go, a random tourist came up to him. "Excuse me, could you please show me where the Coconut Mall is?"

Mario nodded and pointed towards the west. "Sure, it's over there-" he started to say when he realized that he had pointed with the hand that had been carrying the balloons. "Oh, no!" he said as the flying balloons were quickly swallowed up by the clouds overhead.

"Aw, that's a shame," the tourist said in sympathy.

However, Mario was feeling something quite different. The dark thundercloud that been forming over his head gave off tiny blasts of lightning as his temper flared. He whirled around to face the tourist again. "You!" he said angrily.

The tourist suddenly grew nervous. "Me...?"

* * *

Yoshi and Toad had been looking for Mario, hoping to talk to him, when they suddenly found him with some tourist.

"Oh no, I can tell this won't end well," Toad said quietly.

They watched in horror as the little wolf yelled something angrily at the tourist, then grabbed him by the camera dangling around his neck, spun him around like a lasso, and finally threw the tourist off, who landed in a trash can directly in front of the Coconut Mall.

"Mario!" Yoshi called, coming up to the little wolf with Toad. "What are you doing?!"

Mario was still seething. "Didn't you see what he did to me?" he asked darkly. He turned to face them. "And he thought **I** was a pushover!"

Yoshi and Toad looked at each other nervously before continuing. "No, sweetie, he didn't," Yoshi said. "Uh, we think you've taken this 'assertive' thing a little too far. We need you to stop it right now, before somebody gets hurt."

"No!" Mario exclaimed, the dark thundercloud over his head giving off another teeny bolt of lightning as it started to rain overhead. "You want me to become a pushover again!"

"No, buddy, we just want you to stop being so aggressive," Toad said.

"What happened to the sweet Mario we used to know?" Yoshi asked.

"Yeah, we want him back," Toad said, crossing his arms.

The little wolf growled, which scared Yoshi and Toad. "No!" he shouted. "You want '_Weak_' Mario! You want '_Pushover_' Mario! You want '_Do anything to him and he won't complain_' Mario!"

"Aah! This is confusing me! Make it stop!" Toad cried, rubbing his temples.

"What's the matter, Toad? Things getting too complicated for your simple little brain?" the little wolf taunted, pushing Toad back.

Yoshi caught him in time. "Now, stop right there!" he scolded. "Don't let things drive to petty insults."

"Why not?" Mario asked. "I thought 'petty' was what you were all about, Yoshi, with all your petty ideas about your cute little eggs and parties!"

Yoshi's eyes glistened as he turned away, his feelings hurt.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Toad said bravely, stepping in front of Yoshi. "That's what he cares about!"

Mario was not about to back down now. "Oh, and what do _you_ care about, Toad?" he asked, his hands curled into fists. "Trying to keep the princess safe from being kidnapped, only to have it _fail each time?_"

Toad whimpered softly as he stepped back down.

"I can't believe that you're trying to tell _me_ what to do when you guys are simply wasting your own lives on pointless pursuits that _nobody gives a flying flower about!_" Mario finally yelled, a large bolt of lightning from the sky crashing down behind him.

Yoshi and Toad were on the verge of bursting into tears. "I-I can't believe what's happened to you, Mario!" Yoshi managed to whimper.

"You're turned into a monster!" Toad said as the two ran away from the little wolf, crying.

* * *

Mario was deeply offended. "I am _not!_" he yelled, almost loud enough to be heard by everyone. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, panting. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at a puddle that the rain was forming.

His reflection scared him. He looked...vicious. His ears and tail were all bushed up, his incisors were a bit longer than usual, and his eyes were a dark blue instead of a light blue.

The blood drained from Mario's face as he finally remembered what had happened today.

"Oh, no...what have I done...?" the little wolf asked, feeling utterly ashamed as his cheeks burned red. "I've hurt my friends and yelled at them...!" His eyes (which were now returning to their normal hue) began to water. Memories of what he had done to everyone came rushing back to him, and each one hurt him more.

Mario was about to run and catch up to Yoshi and Toad to apologize to them, when he thought of something that made him stop. _What if they don't forgive me? What if they won't listen to me? What if...they don't want to be my friends anymore...?"_

The last thought broke Mario's heart. "T-They called me a monster...and they're _right!_" he cried as he burst into tears. He turned and ran away in the opposite direction, sobbing.


	6. Chapter 6: The End

Meanwhile, Luigi was coming out of the castle, wondering what on earth was wrong with the crazy weather today, when he suddenly saw Yoshi and Toad running towards him, crying.

"Whoa, whoa, guys! What's wrong?" Luigi asked, concerned about his friends.

Yoshi was sobbing too hard to speak, but Toad managed to say something. "It's Mario! He's turned into a monster!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Luigi said indignantly. "What's this all about? Mario isn't a monster!"

"But he's been hurting and yelling at everyone, and making fun of them!" Yoshi managed to say. Then realization dawned on his face when he finally noticed who was to blame. "And it's _our_ fault!" he cried. "We wanted him to be assertive, so we showed him how we do it, but then it got out of hand and now he's being mean to everyone!"

Luigi was stunned for a moment. "Okay, it _is_ your fault," he said flatly. Then he shook his head. "But that doesn't matter right now. Where is Mario?"

Toad was wiping his eyes. "We don't know," he said in a low voice. "We were talking to him near the Coconut Mall, but then he said some really mean things to us, and then we left him."

"You said Coconut Mall?" Luigi asked. "Okay, let's go and see what's going on with him."

* * *

Once they got to Coconut Mall, they looked around the parking lot, the back of the mall, and even inside the mall itself, but they couldn't find the little wolf. They were heading to the front when Toad spotted something.

"Hey, look!" Toad said. "It's the tourist that Mario threw in the trash can earlier!"

Luigi was confused, but didn't say anything about it.

"Do you know where Mario went?" Yoshi asked the tourist, who was _still_ struggling to get out of the trash can.

"Here, first help me get out, and I'll tell you," the tourist said.

Luigi, Toad and Yoshi immediately obliged to help him. With some effort, they managed to get him out.

"Oh, thank you," the tourist breathed. He glanced at his camera and fiddled with it for a moment. "I'm just glad the wolf didn't break it."  
"Where did you say Mario was?" Luigi asked.

The tourist thought for a moment. "Right after Yoshi and Toad left him, I saw him looking down at his reflection in the puddle the rain was forming. He got all freaked out, then ran away crying in the opposite direction, towards the forest."

"The forest...?" Luigi said. Then his face lit up. "Okay, thanks. Come on, guys," he said to Yoshi and Toad as he began making his way towards the forest.

* * *

In the forest, the trio were given shelter from the rain overhead as they continued their search for the little wolf. They searched high and low, but Luigi made sure they didn't go _too_ far into the woods (since it was rumored that Mr. L lived near these parts). This only motivated him to find his brother as soon as possible.

"Where do you think he could be...?" Yoshi asked, looking around some bushes.

"I have no idea-oh!" Toad suddenly said as he heard a noise. "Shh! Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Luigi asked.

"Shh, there it is again!" Toad said.

Yoshi and Luigi heard it this time. It sounded like someone crying.

"I can hear it, but I don't know where it's coming from," Yoshi said.

Everyone looked around to try and find the source of the sound.

"Where is it coming from...?" Toad wondered, looking around.

When Luigi looked up, he found the answer. "It's coming from right above us!" he said, pointing. "Look!"

* * *

Right above them, they could all see Mario sitting on one of the slightly higher branches, practically crying his eyes out. "I-I'm so sorry, guys," he sobbed quietly to himself.

"Mario! What are you doing up there?!" Luigi called, worried. "Get down from there right now! You could get hurt!"

Surprised to hear his brother's voice, the little wolf almost fell from the branch, but he managed to maintain his balance. "Go away, Luigi!" he cried tearfully. "Go away before the monster I've become strikes again!"

"Oh, Mario, we've all said things we regret!" Yoshi said.

"We did?" Toad asked.

Luigi nudged him. "Shush!"

"Toad's right," Mario said, wiping his eyes. "I've become a monster, so I'll just stay up here forever, so that none of you will get hurt!"

"Mario, _please_, get down from there!" Luigi pleaded. "You're not a monster!" He glared at Yoshi and Toad. "You just took some 'advice' the wrong way."

"And we're sorry about that, buddy!" Yoshi apologized.

"Yeah, we didn't mean it!" Toad lamented.

"But you aren't the ones who were yelling at everyone!" Mario began to cry again. "I'm so sorry, you guys! I didn't want to hurt you!"

"Mario, please, it's _alright!_ No one is mad at you! Just please come down from there!" Luigi begged, seriously considering climbing the tree himself.

The little wolf stayed silent for a minute, then turned to face Yoshi and Toad. "Will you guys still be my friends...even though I said all that mean stuff to you?" he asked tearfully.

The two nodded eagerly. "Are you kidding? We'll always be your friends!" Yoshi said.

"No matter what happens!" Toad added.

Mario wiped his eyes and smiled a little (which brought a significant change in the weather). He then proceeded to lower himself from the branch he was perched on and make his way down the tree. Once in a while, his feet would slip, but then he would quickly find his balance, so he managed to get down without much hassle.

Once he landed safely on the ground, Luigi came over and hugged the little wolf tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said, relieved. When he let go, Yoshi and Toad also came over and hugged him too.

Mario gently pulled away. "I-I'm sorry I took the whole 'assertive' thing too far," he said quietly. "Will you forgive me...?"

Yoshi and Toad's eyes began to water again, only this time out of happiness. "Yes!" they laughed as they enveloped him in another warm embrace.

* * *

AN: Yes, this is the end of the story, so I hoped you enjoyed reading this! Remember: Most of the plot does not belong to me, it belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust (from _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_). But Wolfie Mario does belong to me, okay?


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